At the meeting of May 7, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers supported the informative report prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which envisages creating a new service for high-risk teenagers “Safe House for Children and Youth”. The service, which will be an educational coercive tool at the same time, will be used in cases where the only way to help the teenager and reduce the risks to those around him is to temporarily remove him from the usual environment and deal with behavioral problems under the guidance of qualified specialists.
Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egner emphasizes:A completely new concept service is being created in Latvia for high-risk teenagers who commit criminal offenses and threaten themselves, others, and society. Often for such teenagers, the environment they live in is unfavorable, destructive and degrading. Most often, the child has not experienced care and respectful treatment from people close to him, it is an environment in which the child experiences various types of violence against himself and then inflicts it on other people. Also, these are living conditions where there is a high risk of the spread of alcohol, narcotic and psychotropic substances. “Safe house for children and young people” will help you get out of this environment, recognizing the problem under the guidance of specialists and respectfully working with changing the behavior of teenagers. Our main goal is to prevent health and life-threatening risks and return the teenager to everyday life and society. The proposed institution model is based on the experience and evidence of Great Britain, Germany and other countries.”
Specialists of the Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, as well as with Latvian and foreign experts, have conducted research and offer to introduce a service where children will have the opportunity to both receive education and health care services. Adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 will be placed in the “Children and Youth Safe House” after a court decision for a period of up to two years, and every three months an assessment will be made regarding the possibility of returning to society. In the “Safe House for Children and Youth”, specialists and mentors will work with the causes of the child’s problematic and risky behavior with the aim of developing social skills and preparing them for a safe life in society.
In order to implement the stationary service “Safe house for children and young people”, a safe infrastructure is needed, a building and premises specially adapted for this purpose, a detailed list of services and their content, trained personnel, as well as changes in regulatory acts.
The Ministry of Justice continues to evaluate the possibilities of adapting state-owned buildings to the needs of the “Safe House for Children and Youth”, while not ruling out the possibility of building a new building. The preliminary costs of establishing and providing the service are approximately 10,500,000 euros – they include both the construction of a new building/building adaptation and the first year’s maintenance costs.
It is planned that an action plan for the establishment of the institution will be prepared by March 1, 2025, so that the “Safe House for Children and Youth” can start working as soon as possible.
On the other hand, until this year On May 31, the Ministry of Justice will submit a plan to the Cabinet of Ministers on how the service will be provided during the transition period from January 1, 2025 until the “Safe House for Children and Youth” is established.
The report is viewable On the portal of legal acts projects.
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Tags: government supports creation Children Youth Safe House highrisk teenagers
